Inviolate (2)
by Beth6787
Summary: Set immediately post "Endgame". Admiral Janeway's temporal incursion is detected by (now) Admiral Braxton on the 29th century timeship Aeon. He is sent back to return Voyager to the Delta Quadrant thereby correcting the timeline. Will events play out as the Admiral experienced now Kathryn and Seven have been made aware of what's in store for the next sixteen years?...


Beth6787

16th December 2017

Inviolate

By the 29th century the temporal prime directive is as binding as the original Prime Directive of the 24th century. The Timeship Aeon detects Admiral Janeway's latest incursion and re-sets the timeline. Voyager is destined to spend another sixteen years in the DQ come what may...

"Set a course, for home." Captain Janeway stares ahead at the viewscreen whilst Chakotay expertly pilots Voyager into a high Earth orbit. The standard orbital lock commands are entered and authorisations confirmed with Ground Control in San Fransisco. She knows that she needs to liaise with Starfleet Command on the schedules for disembarkation and debriefings and make a shipwide announcement to the crew, but first she really needs just ten minutes to herself and a strong coffee.

"Commander, you have the Bridge. I will be in my Ready the crew that I will be making a shipwide announcement at 1600 hours" (that gave her half an hour to ascertain the basic plan of action from the Admiralty) . With that she forced a smile in Chakotay and Seven's direction and nodded to Tuvok. She stood to head for her Ready Room and suddenly felt dizzy and there was a lurching sensation which made her grab the back of her chair. The viewscreen dimmed for a second then the view cleared. No sign of planet Earth in sight!

"Report !" She barked a little too harshly at Chakotay and Harry Kim. It was Harry who replied "I don't believe it! Captain, according to my instruments we are back in the DQ near the nebula where we first entered the transwarp hub only the nebula has disappeared from scanners. The starscape is identical. Also the time index would appear to be eight days ago, about ten minutes before Admiral Janeway fist appeared through the tachyon eddy."

"Harry, any sign of tachyon eddies or any other temporal anomalies?" Asked both the Captain and Commander simultaneously. They shared a worried look.

"Could this be the work of Q ?"suggested Tuvok. It was a possibility. No sign of Q in the vicinity but you never knew with him and it had all the hallmarks of one of his stunts. But why now of all times? Surely, this was too cruel even for him, thought Kathryn.

Just then Harry piped up "Captain, there is a temporal eddy opening five kilometres off the starboard nacelle." Well at least they would have Admiral Janeway to help them figure it out Kathryn reasoned. A ship emerged only it was not the Admiral's shuttle although it did look like advanced, futuristic Starfleet technology.

"We are being hailed" stated Tuvok. "On screen" ordered Kathryn by instinct. She was met by the familiar face of Captain Braxton!

"Captain Janeway, we meet yet again. How many times have I had to reprimand you for disregarding the Temporal Prime Directive. Yet even once you obtain the rank of Admiral you will not respect the rule of law. Though I suppose I should thank you in that having been allocated one of the most difficult cases for the Temporal Legislature I have now obtained the rank of Admiral myself. You however, will have to wait another sixteen years before you reach home. Having already met the Admiral on her last incursion you have had a brief glimpse of the future. Needless to say, Admiral Janeway will be staying on Earth in the year 2404 where she belongs. One more illegal temporal incursion by Voyager or any of her officers will result in the removal of your ship and crew from the timeline altogether, do I make myself crystal clear?"

Captain Janeway felt bereft. She gathered her composure, more for the benefit of those witnesses on the Bridge than Admiral Braxton. "Understood" she uttered in the steadiest voice she could manage. With that Braxton fixed her with his best 'no more nonsense' glare and the Timeship Aeon vanished through the same eddy it had just materialised from.

"Any other ships within scanning range?" she asked Harry Kim. Of all the people on board he had been most excited at actually making it home. She was well aware of the need to keep him busy and distracted for as long as possible.

"Tuvok you have the Bridge. Chakotay, please join me in my Ready Room. And Commander Tuvok, please keep a total news blackout on what has just happened until I have had a chance to address the crew. In the meantime everyone's duty shifts are to continue as normal." She gave Tuvok an anguished look. What a task! She knew fully well that she would have to speak to the crew within minutes as those off duty would inevitably spot something amiss from the viewports before long.

Without further delay she strode across the Bridge with Chakotay hot on her heels. As soon as the Ready Room door shut behind them and the privacy locks were engaged she turned to Chakotay. "All our hard work, all the Admiral's sacrifices, all for nothing?! How could Braxton wait until we were home before correcting the timeline? Why not have sent the Admiral straight back the moment she originally appeared eight days ago? Why get the crew's hopes up and then smash them like this?"

Chakotay had a good idea. Braxton was making it very clear to Captain Janeway that there are negative consequences to defying the Temporal Prime Directive. By doing things this way, the whole crew would remember getting home and having it torn away from them. Braxton was hoping they would all blame the Captain. Chakotay very much hoped, with time, they would not. But he expected a lot of hurt feelings and bitterness in the short term. He had to be realistic with Kathryn, no matter how much she was hurting right now.

" No doubt Braxton wanted to give you an unambiguous message. I think he has made his point, don't you?" Chakotay looked at her and saw the facade of the Captain crumbling in front of him. It was Kathryn that replied in little more than a whisper " then Braxton should have punished me, and me alone, not my crew."

He took her arm and led her over to the sofa. "Sit, I will make us both a herbal tea. Then we need to address the crew. As much damage limitation as possible. And Kathryn, we will need a new morale officer to replace Neelix - and fast."

Kathryn almost fell onto the sofa with her head in her hands. She was thinking of her closest friends. How to tell Belanna and Tom that they would be raising their baby girl in the DQ after all. She would have to go through the agony of watching Chakotay and Seven together for the next three years and then... the future did not bear thinking about. Somehow Admiral Janeway had coped and stayed sane. But she had not known what her future held in store for her. Kathryn did not think she could hold out as the Captain for another day, yet alone SIXTEEN YEARS!

"Thank you Chakotay" she whispered as she took the tea from him. "Perhaps we could locate Q and see whether he can find a way around this? I know it's cheating but Temporal Prime Directive be damned. We cannot let the future unfold as the Admiral's did. We can't !"

She sounded desperate. Had the Admiral breached every rule in the book and told the Captain far more than she should have. From Kathryn's demeanour, obviously so.

"Kathryn, obviously you have a fair idea of what's ahead. Just how bad does it get?"

She stood and stared out of the viewport, afraid to look Chakotay in the eye. "Very bad. We will lose another twenty two of our crew along with some pretty terrible consequences for some dear friends. We cannot live that timeline again."

Chakotay brought them back to the present. "Kathryn, Captain" he said a little more forcefully. He needed Captain Janeway fully on board at this juncture, he would deal with lifting Kathryn's demons later. "We need to make a shipwide announcement within the next few minutes. I suggest we stick to the minimal facts. Braxton has returned us to our correct timeline. We are eight days in the past. The plus to all this is that there appears to be no sign of the Borg in the vicinity. I suggest we send Seven and her best team to Astrometrics to try and determine where the nebula and transwarp hub has relocated to and whether we are within sensor range of the Borg. We do not know whether the Queen has been destroyed or not, but as the Admiral has never been here in this timeline, we have to assume the Collective is still fully operational. If we are within detector range of that nebula then we are in imminent danger." At that he saw Kathryn's eyes light up and the Captain re-emerge.

"I concur Commander. Please assign Seven and a team straight away. I will get Mr. Kim to head up Engineering temporarily whilst Belanna recovers from the birth. Though knowing Leiutenant Torres, as soon as she is aware of the status quo she will be chaffing at the bit to return to her post. Baby or no baby." Chakotay gave her a wry smile. "Aye Captain".

"I will join you on the Bridge shortly. Tell Tuvok to clear all communication channels for me." With that Chakotay left and she gathered her thoughts. She knew it was imperative to present this to the crew as a temporary set back. She was the only one who knew that their odyssey in the DQ was due to run on for another two decades almost. No need to enlighten the crew. She braced herself then headed out to the Bridge to make the speech of her life.

"Attention all stations. This is your Captain. As some of you are no doubt already aware , we are no longer in Earth orbit. Seven and her team in Astrometrics are currently mapping our exact location, but first indications are that we are within the vicinity of the nebula containing the transwarp hub that we entered in the Delta Quadrant just over twenty four hours ago. Half an hour ago we experienced an energy surge and were dragged through a temporal eddy. According to ship's chronometers and the Bridge logs we are now eight days in our immediate past. Just before the surge hit I was contacted by Admiral Braxton of the Timeship Aeon and notified that he was going to correct the temporal incursion that occurred when we first encountered Admiral Janeway. The events of the last eight days are not part of our timeline and it has now been corrected. May I emphasise that this is merely a temporary setback. We may not be able to rely on Admiral Janeway to supply us with a shortcut home but we still have all our combined ingenuity and determination and we will achieve our objective, sooner rather than later. We will be resuming duty shifts as planned from our current timeline. Stay strong. Janeway out."

She looked around the Bridge only to be met by ashen and stunned gazes. Only Tuvok seemed to be taking the situation in his usual stoical stride. Poor Tuvok, this delay would cost him dearly. She was well aware that the Doctor had already given Tuvok the terrible news. It was only she who had to be put in the picture by the Admiral. Kathryn thought to herself that at least she should be grateful for small mercies. Braxton had not erased their memories of the last eight days. No doubt so that her crew could keep her in line but it did allow her to prepare for the inevitable future. Chakotay and Seven. The sooner she came to terms with that the better.

"Commander Chakotay, please give Seven a hand in Astrometrics with determining our exact position and the status quo in the immediate vicinity. I will assist Mr. Kim in engineering. Tuvok you have the Bridge. I will need a full tactical report on my desk within the hour." With that she headed for the turbolift and made her way to Engineering. She would deal with personal matters down the line, way way down the line if at all possible. For now, they needed to check the di-lithium stores, check that the warp engines had not been damaged by the journey through the transwarp hub, Borg sphere or the temporal eddy which had dragged them back here. She would also make time to drop by the Parises quarters and welcome the newest addition to their crew. She knew that Belanna had had very mixed feelings about returning to Earth and joining Tom's family so she would not be too disappointed with this turn of events. Tom Paris was a different matter. He was finally about to prove his worth to his father and introduce him to a new daughter-in-law and granddaughter and it had suddenly all been snatched away from him. Just like seven years ago when their journey had begun. Focus Kathryn, she admonished herself. First things first. Help Harry to get Voyager space worthy again and fast. She had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach that that nebula and the Queen's hub was a little too close for comfort!

Chakotay arrived at Astrometrics to find it was a hub of activity. Seven had located the nebula with the transwarp hub, about twelve hours from their position at maximum warp. Unfortunately that was very unlikely to be achievable just now but he hailed Engineering "Ensign Kim, what is the maximum speed we are currently capable of?" Kim replied "Warp 2 at a push, for a maximum of about ten hours. I would not recommend travelling above full impulse for the next couple of days while we re-align the warp matrix." The Captain interjected "Is there a problem Commander?"

"Not yet, although Seven had determined we are only twelve hours from the nebula containing the transwarp hub. I would like to put as much distance between us and that nebula as possible. We have already been sitting here, stationery form the last couple of hours. It is likely the Collective will detect the temporal disturbance generated to return us here. We should set course and head away immediately."

"I agree Commander. Seven give the helm co-ordinates for the shortest route out of Borg space away from the nebula. Full impulse. Unfortunately we are not yet ready to engage warp engines but I will be assisting in Engineering overnight and expect to have the core re-aligned and operational by 0800 tomorrow. Janeway out." The Captain looked at her dear friend and protege. "Well Harry, let's see whether we can beat the Academy record for this task set by Geordie La Forge of the Enterprise over twelve years ago. Are you up for the challenge."

Harry's crestfallen expression was transformed. "Yes, ma'am" he asserted with a twinkle in the eye. Well that's one down for now, just another 129 crew to motivate now thought the Captain as they set to work.

The shift in Astrometrics finished and the crew filed out leaving just Chakotay and Seven. " Commander would you join me for dinner tonight?" Now was definitely not the time for another romantic liaison (if you could call it that) with Seven. "I'm afraid, with the current emergency I will be far too busy. I will no doubt be needed on the Bridge and you may be required to assist the Captain in Engineering."

Seven looked at him. She needed to do this sooner rather than later and she was desperate to get it over with. "Just for a short while, a sandwich and tea. No more. This is not a romantic date but I do need to talk to you in private. It is a matter of some urgency."

Perhaps it was better to get whatever Seven was about to spring on him resolved as soon as possible. They faced a hectic few days then an unknown, but he suspected non too pleasant, future ahead. "Alright Seven, meet me in my quarters in half an hour. I can spare you twenty minutes or so then I will need to check in with the Bridge" he lied. Anything to reduce the chances of an amorous advance from Seven tonight of all nights.

"Very well Commander" she nodded and headed out. Chakotay made his way back to his quarters and made a quick tea. He decided against freshening up as did not want to give out the wrong signals to Seven. How did he feel now they were staying in the DQ, at least for the immediate future. He had not broached the subject of his dates with Seven to Kathryn yet. If he were to continue seeing her he knew he had to but that was one conversation he dreaded. Kathryn would be carrying a huge additional burden of guilt for as she would see it

, she (albeit her future self) had stranded her crew in the DQ a second time! Focus Chakotay, first put things on hold with Seven then deal with Kathryn's emotional fallout once they had warp engines back.

Before he had formed the conversation in his mind his doorbell chimed. "Enter" he called out. Was he relieved to see that Seven had not freshened up either. Good he thought, perhaps this is a simple sandwich and soft drink after all."

Seven sat and beckoned him to do likewise. "Chakotay" she began " I have wrestled in my mind with what to do but, having been thrust back into the DQ and now subject to the Temporal Prime Directive, I am confident that we will never meet Admiral Janeway again." She stopped, seeing she had already given the game away to Chakotay. Neither of them would live to see the Captain return home and get promoted. She saw his understanding reflected in his eyes. "May I continue?"

Chakotay realised that Seven knew more than he was privy to, and as First Officer, he needed to be fully in the picture if he was to help Kathryn navigate the road ahead. Temporal Prime Directive be damned, as the Admiral would have said. Seven was privy to the knowledge anyway so it had already been breached. "Go ahead. And Seven," he paused for emphasis "leave nothing out. I need to know everything you do."

"Of course, Commander. Bear with me, some of the emotional undercurrents are still difficult for me to interpret but I will do my best to convey what I think the Admiral was telling me." At this Chakotay's attention was fully focussed. So Admiral Janeway had told Seven so much about the future that she had immediately tried to terminate their relationship. "I understand. Please continue." He said in what he hoped was his most reassuring and sympathetic voice.

"Admiral Janeway came to see me, I believe a couple of hours before she met the Captain in her shuttle then departed Voyager. She wanted me to convince the Captain to go ahead with her plan and enter the transwarp hub. She was desperate to get us back to the AQ. She told me that my closest friends would be very hurt if not. I was to die and therefore I could not in good conscience continue a relationship with you."

Chakotay could not believe it. Since when did the life of a Starfleet crew member `(whose job by it's very nature was risky every day) preclude them from having a romantic relationship, just in case they may die in the future! He knew Kathryn's parameters, but they were of her own making and did not apply to Seven, or himself! That was their choice to make. "Seven, the Admiral was speaking in a personal capacity. Her parameters do not apply to anyone but herself. It is for us, and every other member of this crew to make decisions on their personal relationships for themselves."

She nodded "I thought as much but the Admiral was SO INSISTENT. According to her neither you or she ever got over my loss. Commander Tuvok has just started showing signs of a genetic variant of dementia that can only be cured in the very early stages. He needs to return to Vulcan and mind meld with a close genetic relative within the next six months or the condition will be incurable. The Admiral told me that we will be in the DQ for another sixteen years, I will die in three years time and you will then lose another twenty two crew members including Icheb and Naomi's mother Samantha Wildman." She paused to sip her tea and taste her sandwich but Chakotay had lost all interest in his supper.

Seven continued "I told her that the Captain would weigh up the odds and make the best decision for all the crew. We may not survive an attempted entry into the nebula or transwarp hub. Then Voyager would be lost, tomorrow, with all hands. I told her that Captain Janeway would not be swayed by stories of a possible long distance future. She would act in the interests of her crew now, not in the interests of an Admiral she had only just met. Even if that was her future self."

Chakotay was impressed by Seven's level of perception. She had come further in her mental and emotional maturing than he had given her credit for. "You are absolutely right Seven. How did the Admiral respond?"

"She actually became most irrational. She pleaded with me and when she saw that line of reasoning was to no avail she changed tactic and told me her real reason for coming back twenty six years into her past. I knew from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that it was the absolute truth for her. No manipulation. Just a desperate need for me to understand."

"Go on Seven" murmured Chakotay. Could this finally be it? Was Kathryn about to bare her soul?

Seven put down her tea cup and leaned forward. She knew how important it was to convey Kathryn's pain to the man sitting in front of her. Captain Janeway, initially her saviour from the Collective, later her mentor and confident. Now almost her surrogate mother. Had Seven had an inkling, any at all, she would never have considered asking Chakotay on a date, yet alone encouraged any romantic attachment to herself. "Commander. Chakotay. The Admiral came back for one reason only. You. And her. She had endured another sixteen years in the DQ. You and I continued our romance in her timeline. You tell her about a month from now. She was pregnant but only the Doctor knew. Jaffen's baby. The shock caused her to miscarry and she never had another chance for a family of her own. No one knew but the Doctor. She carried that pain with her for the next twenty six years. About six months from now we married. As Captain, Kathryn Janeway had to officiate the ceremony. Somehow she did, although I was oblivious to her pain and you thought she was long since over you and her agreeing to officiate signalled her acceptance of us. We could not have been more wrong! Then, just over two years after we married, I died on my return from an away mission. Our marriage had not been a happy one, we just did not have enough in common, and I had volunteered for that mission to give you some space. We were to decide on my return whether to separate for good. I died in your arms and you never got over the guilt. Neither did the Captain as her sorrow at my death conflicted with her hopes of winning your love back eventually. That did not happen. Too much hurt and too much water under the bridge. At the same time as I died Tuvok had deteriorated so much that he had to be permanently relieved of duty. Ensign Kim was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and took the second officer's post behind yourself. So the Captain had lost both her closest confidants and we were still thirteen years from home. We had numerous first contacts, more hostile than friendly and lost another twenty two members of our crew along the way. Yet more encounters with the Borg Queen who enjoyed enacting as much revenge as possible for the loss of her 'favourite drone' namely me. By the time we got home it was a very hollow victory for the Captain. Harry made Captain himself, Tom, Belanna and Miral prospered, the Doctor found fame and a lovely young wife. The Captain made Admiral and was admired and revered by most of Starfleet. So life was good for some of us but, as the Admiral said, our family was far from complete. Hers was totally wiped out. "

Chakotay's heart bled for Kathryn. No wonder the Admiral had been driven to come back. Risk all. For her, there truly was nothing left to lose. She had already lost it many many years ago. Seven grabbed his arm and brought him back to the present with a jolt. "Commander, this is very important you understand. She has loved you for the past seven years and will do so for the next twenty six. Literally until the day she dies. In all those years there was never anyone else for her. Only ever you. I do not love you. I chose you as the most suitable mate based on your rank within the crew and your 'admirable qualities' such as your compassion, courage, and intellect. I also saw how high a regard the Captain placed you in. I misinterpreted this as purely a professional friendship but took my lead from her. If Kathryn Janeway thought so highly of you then you must be excellent mate material. Had I known for one second I would never have betrayed my mentor and best friend by pursuing you. I also owe you an apology in case I have hurt your feelings but we cannot continue our liaison. I do not know what will happen between you and the Captain, now in this timeline, knowing what we do about the original future. But you will not be marrying me."

At that Chakotay had to suppress a strong impulse to laugh. No he certainly would not. But it had taken Seven courage to relay all this to him and he would let her down gently.

"I see. You are right this is a lot of important information and I will need to process it and decide what to do for the best. Of course, you are right. It would not be in either of our best interests to pursue a romantic relationship. I am flattered that you are so impressed by my credentials, however I know for a fact there are other single males amongst the crew that share such characteristics with me. Some even more so, and I would encourage you to focus on forming close friendships with the opposite sex for now. A romantic liaison should follow on naturally from a close friendship and deep concern for someone. Like with the Captain and myself. I wish you well Seven and thank you so much for the insight." He smiled at her and squeezed her arm then gave her a peck on the cheek.

Seven looked a little disconcerted then reciprocated. "Thank you Commander. May I be excuse now?"

"Of course Seven. Dismissed."

Chakotay checked with the ship's computer as to the whereabouts of Captain Janeway. Apparently she had been relieved of duty in Engineering by the Doctor fifteen minutes ago. She did not want to leave but had been on duty for seventeen hours straight and the Doc had had to resort to threatening to confine her to sickbay if she did not comply. Chakotay was reminded of Kathryn's pregnancy. She was about to lose the baby any day on hearing that he had been dating Seven. Had she overheard a rumour in Engineering today? There was no time to lose. He had to sort this mess out once and for all. So, he mused as he headed for Kathryn's quarters...a baby...a family at last. Perhaps the next sixteen years out here would not be so bad after all.

THE END

'

13 13


End file.
